Headcanon/Essay Meme
After seven-ish months of hemming and hawing, I'm finally putting up a headcanon meme! It's something I'll be adding to over time, because I do have a lot, I just don't know how to organize it yet. If there is anything you're curious about, please ask, and I'll get to it ASAP (as that will give me some direction on where to go from here).
July 28th:...sob, reclassifying this as a combination headcanon/essay meme because some of these tidbits of info could be considered essays in their own right.
Family:
*The Shiraki family is centered in the Nagano prefecture. They own a small publishing firm specializing in children's books. It was founded by her grandfather, and it produces a steady amount of books each year.
The other main source of income for the family is their large ume/plum orchard. It is considered the namesake of the family (the trees have white blossoms , and Shiraki means "White Tree") and has belonged to the family since time out of mind. Its fruit, when not distributed fresh, is preserved for private use by the Shiraki, or sent to be made into umeshu/plum wine. Though the family property is very small (especially compared to the Sohma's holdings), the orchard surrounding it is the family's greatest treasure. Mayuko's family is unfortunately the second branch, so though she loves it, she will not inherit the property. :'(
*Papa Shiraki does not make an appearance in Furuba canon; during Mayuko’s chapters, he is in the hospital recovering from a summer cold. So I can conjecture a reasonable amount about him. He was and is a good man, and an excellent father. He worked for the family’s press until Mayuko was born; his position required a lot of travel, and he was unwilling to be separated from wife and child for such long periods of time. So he went to his family and declared his intentions. Papa Shiraki, an avid reader, wanted to share his love of books and open a bookstore. Grandpapa Shiraki not only took the news with grace, but invested in the store AND allowed him to keep his share of the press. He has owned the store for nearly thirty years, and still loves what he does.
*We DO see Mama Shiraki, and it’s safe to call her a Japanese Mrs. Bennet- instead of having five daughters to fuss over, she has only Mayu. She is a very clever woman, and concerning her husband and daughter and the majority of the populace, manages to get her way a good deal of the time. She comes from a family of sisters, and they all have daughters; Mayu is one of the last unmarried girls, hence Mama’s drive to see her married before she gets any older. It’s something she doesn’t understand: “Why could this be, when she is so pretty and clever and vivacious?” etc.
Mama’s interest in the Sohmas may be a bit on the mercenary side- they have resources, she believes Mayu will be well taken care of if she marries one of them. (She doesn’t know Hatori is the Sohma family’s physician. Mayu doesn’t want her getting any ideas, and so doesn’t intend to tell her until later.)
Mayu’s looks and temperament come from her father’s family- she did get her mother’s quick wits, she just didn’t see the need to be cunning UNTIL SHE CAME TO CAMP, where they comprise her best line of defense.
*Mayuko comes from a small family; she is an only child, but both of her parents have siblings, so she has a few cousins as agemates. Though she doesn’t live close to the members of the paternal side of her family, she feels closer to them than to the maternal.
On the paternal side, she is one of the youngest cousins, and one of only two or three girls. She tagged along and initiated her share of adventures, and they would explore the family property together all summer long and during New Year’s. They were a lively bunch; one minute they would be tussling over the last piece of mochi, the next they would be laughing at some joke or story one was telling. They formed a very loving and very protective unit; Mayu was a leader rather than a follower, but she always listened to the only cousin able to consistently outmatch and outstubborn her. As kids, they butted heads; nowadays, he’s the one she’s closest to. :|d
On the maternal side, she’s the second oldest; a good mix of male and female cousins. As mentioned before, competition was high- which sister had the prettiest, the brightest, the most talented child? Mama Shiraki saw to it that Mayu distinguished herself with her booklore and with dancing (though she enjoys it, she… doesn’t have the ear for music, as Ebi can attest |D; ) The others distinguished themselves in other areas. And as also mentioned before, Mayu and her cousins got along very well, despite their mothers’ meddling, and as a group asserted themselves about when Mayu started junior high school. Mayu discontinued dancing that year, and instead studied naginata-work under her maternal aunt’s instruction.
General Facts:
*Mayu was born on January 4th, 1972. January marks the start of the doll-purchasing season for Hina Matsuri: though she would inherit her mother's set, her grandparents bought her her own pair of imperial dolls to celebrate. They were her most prized possession growing up; she still has them and they may show up one day in Camp.
*Her favorite food... okay, it's plums but her second favorite is mochi. Having a birthday right after New Year's, she didn't need a cake or anything, the family just made her more mochi and she was happy. She doesn't often make it; in Camp, she'll only make some for O-Bon, or her birthday, or if someone else asks her REALLY nicely.
*She had a couple of dogs growing up- Akitas, BIG DOGS that were tsun towards everyone except the family. The first was alive before Mayu was born, and died when she was a small child; the second was adopted shortly after, and died when Mayu was in high school. She wants a dog in Camp, it would make her feel safer, but cats seem to be more popular around here, and she hasn't found one. :(
This is part of the reason Mayu is gullible when it comes to Shigure: she picks up the canine-vibe off of him, it reminds her of HER dogs, and pings her in the nostalgia. And dogs are trustworthy, so he couldn't be lying, right?!
*Memories are important to Mayu! She does tend to idealize past experiences, and holds many of them up as the Way Things Should Be. For example: her parents were excellent! So seeing Yuki and Ayame's mother at the Parent-Teacher Conference verbally assaulting her sons takes her aback. "You are striking your child with hurtful words," she says at one point. Mayu, who's seen smacking students with folders and dumping water on them to break up fights, speaks out against this mistreatment of her student! Because it goes against her belief and experience in how a parent should act.
*She received her first kiss (and her second, and her third...) during her high school class trip. A group of students snuck out after curfew to have a little fun, and she herself snuck off with a young man she fancied from another class-section. They returned rather quickly, and the teachers never knew the kids had left (or, knew and didn't care).
*On the material level, Noh masks really unsettle her, especially the straight-out human ones. It's not a phobia-level fear, but the way they look, and the way they change expression when light and shadow hits them makes her uncomfortable. Plus reading Fumiko Enchi's Onna-men/Masks DID NOT help.
So, okay, she doesn't like masks. On a more symbolic level, it could mean she doesn't like when things are disguised or covered up. So learning that the people she's known for years, her students, her friends, the man she loves, that she believed were normal, really AREN'T? Well, it did shake her world-view up a bit; that's distressing for someone like Mayu! Accurate perceptions are important, and she has been proven wrong!! But she is mentally flexible and folklore savvy, she has been in camp a while where weirder things do occur daily, and (I don't know a term to encapsulate this better) she loevs her nakama. It had an impact; she's been adjusting to this new world-view, especially in regards to Hatori. But they're still her important people, and now she just... knows a little more about them.
In Camp
*OK, let's get into rootedness. Now, I imagine for most characters, the transition from "Real World" to "Zombie Camp!?" takes time, but in Mayu's case she adjusted faster than she would have thanks to the presence of people from home, and thanks to Hatori's very generous offer. From November to June, Mayu lived with Hatori in Boys' Cabin 16.2. It's safe to say, after being "uprooted" from Japan, she managed to put down roots and stabilize- it was Dumbledore's cabin, it was remote but it was safe and secure and it had Hatori. And for Mayu, STABILITY IS GOOD, ROOTEDNESS IS GOOD! Right...
Then Akito arrived. And Hatori, realizing that (and wanting) Akito to stay with him, evicted Mayu... He uprooted her. Personally. And while Mayu was rationalizing "Yes, it's for the best" out loud and then tsun-ing at Hatori, mentally she was going "OH GOD NO WHY WHAT DO I DO NOW ;o;" I don't think she was even as panicked and scared during the Zombie Apocalypse as she was then. So yes, Shigure had it right, she was in extreme distress before and while he was there (and probably a while afterwards bawww) And Shigure had the best possible idea, in immediately offering Mayu a new place to stay. Because she might have holed herself up in the library and NOT COME BACK OUT for a while.
So for the moment, Mayu lives in the Pimp Cabin. And you can be sure, she's not going to be putting down roots for a long while. :'<
*The Library: Mayu's place of employment, her second home, her territory. She takes her job seriously, she spends most of every month ordering and delivering books. She has an office of her own (I figure Castor and Nanao do as well, and when they're out in a post, they're in a "public" area, you know, at the reference/check-out desk for example, unless stated otherwise. Offices, in contrast, are in a more "private" area.) While most of the belongings she brought into camp with her are in her cabin, some of those and most of her in-camp acquisitions are in her office, and have been since she started working. The chair and footstool she got from Tiny-IKEA? WENT TO HER OFFICE. She never brought home anything she's gotten from fighting (not that the drops are that great, anyway), nor did she carry her weapons in plain sight, because she didn't want to worry Hatori.
*Weapons: Mayu has them! They are small, and if they are on her person... you know that backpack she wears, that I sometimes remember to mention? Yep, they'll be there! Not all of them at the same time though, they are heavy.
Weapon of choice: one mace, simple functional design, not spiked.
Sharp!Objects: a pair of small daggers, may have one or both at the same time. Reluctant to use them since it requires she get up close and personal with her target, which limits her reach-advantage. Both mace and daggers acquired during Heroes!Weekend/her birthday in January.
Reference books: Being library staff, Mayu does take out reference books on loan. And as we all know, Camp!reference books are ~very nippy~. She keeps a number in her cabin as a rough sort of security system, and may be seen carrying one with her. It makes being booked in the face by her that much more unpleasant.
Medical Knowledge: She does know a bit about the human body- there may have been medical texts in her father's store. She certainly helped Kana study for her exams. And she will use that knowledge to attempt to end fights quickly in her favor. |<
*Mayu's soul animal is an elephant? WHY?
1. From here: "Deeply committed to all creatures with whom they have relationships, elephants are tough when protecting others and gentle when nurturing them. The matriarch (the oldest, most experienced female leader of a herd) leads in a way that is both gentle and inclusive." Is Mayu the matriarch of her "herd"? She is, or at least she's learning how to be one. :|a
2. Same site: "Loyal and affectionate elephants would risk their lives for the sake of others in a family group... Elephants have amazing memories and when mistreated they often seek revenge." Like Hatori, Mayu is associated with memory- in particular, the preservation aspect. "I don't want to forget (their happiness)..." As for the revenge aspect... let's be glad she's a Muggle...
3. Something I discovered after the species-switch: In Thailand, the final animal of the zodiac is not the boar- it's the elephant. I doubt she has Thai ancestry, but nonetheless, she transformed into an animal of her zodiac year!
And 4. ... I wanted something that could contrast greatly with Hatori's little-bitty transformation. Plus, she was very uncomfortable being so large, more than she let on, I believe- lol body issues. She's embarrassed over what she transforms into, too. /)_(\
I think I'll leave this entry off here- it got much larger than I anticipated. If you managed to read all the way through, thank you for hanging in there! I'll be working on another section soon, but it will be separate.
July 28th:...sob, reclassifying this as a combination headcanon/essay meme because some of these tidbits of info could be considered essays in their own right.
Family:
*The Shiraki family is centered in the Nagano prefecture. They own a small publishing firm specializing in children's books. It was founded by her grandfather, and it produces a steady amount of books each year.
The other main source of income for the family is their large ume/plum orchard. It is considered the namesake of the family (the trees have white blossoms , and Shiraki means "White Tree") and has belonged to the family since time out of mind. Its fruit, when not distributed fresh, is preserved for private use by the Shiraki, or sent to be made into umeshu/plum wine. Though the family property is very small (especially compared to the Sohma's holdings), the orchard surrounding it is the family's greatest treasure. Mayuko's family is unfortunately the second branch, so though she loves it, she will not inherit the property. :'(
*Papa Shiraki does not make an appearance in Furuba canon; during Mayuko’s chapters, he is in the hospital recovering from a summer cold. So I can conjecture a reasonable amount about him. He was and is a good man, and an excellent father. He worked for the family’s press until Mayuko was born; his position required a lot of travel, and he was unwilling to be separated from wife and child for such long periods of time. So he went to his family and declared his intentions. Papa Shiraki, an avid reader, wanted to share his love of books and open a bookstore. Grandpapa Shiraki not only took the news with grace, but invested in the store AND allowed him to keep his share of the press. He has owned the store for nearly thirty years, and still loves what he does.
*We DO see Mama Shiraki, and it’s safe to call her a Japanese Mrs. Bennet- instead of having five daughters to fuss over, she has only Mayu. She is a very clever woman, and concerning her husband and daughter and the majority of the populace, manages to get her way a good deal of the time. She comes from a family of sisters, and they all have daughters; Mayu is one of the last unmarried girls, hence Mama’s drive to see her married before she gets any older. It’s something she doesn’t understand: “Why could this be, when she is so pretty and clever and vivacious?” etc.
Mama’s interest in the Sohmas may be a bit on the mercenary side- they have resources, she believes Mayu will be well taken care of if she marries one of them. (She doesn’t know Hatori is the Sohma family’s physician. Mayu doesn’t want her getting any ideas, and so doesn’t intend to tell her until later.)
Mayu’s looks and temperament come from her father’s family- she did get her mother’s quick wits, she just didn’t see the need to be cunning UNTIL SHE CAME TO CAMP, where they comprise her best line of defense.
*Mayuko comes from a small family; she is an only child, but both of her parents have siblings, so she has a few cousins as agemates. Though she doesn’t live close to the members of the paternal side of her family, she feels closer to them than to the maternal.
On the paternal side, she is one of the youngest cousins, and one of only two or three girls. She tagged along and initiated her share of adventures, and they would explore the family property together all summer long and during New Year’s. They were a lively bunch; one minute they would be tussling over the last piece of mochi, the next they would be laughing at some joke or story one was telling. They formed a very loving and very protective unit; Mayu was a leader rather than a follower, but she always listened to the only cousin able to consistently outmatch and outstubborn her. As kids, they butted heads; nowadays, he’s the one she’s closest to. :|d
On the maternal side, she’s the second oldest; a good mix of male and female cousins. As mentioned before, competition was high- which sister had the prettiest, the brightest, the most talented child? Mama Shiraki saw to it that Mayu distinguished herself with her booklore and with dancing (though she enjoys it, she… doesn’t have the ear for music, as Ebi can attest |D; ) The others distinguished themselves in other areas. And as also mentioned before, Mayu and her cousins got along very well, despite their mothers’ meddling, and as a group asserted themselves about when Mayu started junior high school. Mayu discontinued dancing that year, and instead studied naginata-work under her maternal aunt’s instruction.
General Facts:
*Mayu was born on January 4th, 1972. January marks the start of the doll-purchasing season for Hina Matsuri: though she would inherit her mother's set, her grandparents bought her her own pair of imperial dolls to celebrate. They were her most prized possession growing up; she still has them and they may show up one day in Camp.
*Her favorite food... okay, it's plums but her second favorite is mochi. Having a birthday right after New Year's, she didn't need a cake or anything, the family just made her more mochi and she was happy. She doesn't often make it; in Camp, she'll only make some for O-Bon, or her birthday, or if someone else asks her REALLY nicely.
*She had a couple of dogs growing up- Akitas, BIG DOGS that were tsun towards everyone except the family. The first was alive before Mayu was born, and died when she was a small child; the second was adopted shortly after, and died when Mayu was in high school. She wants a dog in Camp, it would make her feel safer, but cats seem to be more popular around here, and she hasn't found one. :(
This is part of the reason Mayu is gullible when it comes to Shigure: she picks up the canine-vibe off of him, it reminds her of HER dogs, and pings her in the nostalgia. And dogs are trustworthy, so he couldn't be lying, right?!
*Memories are important to Mayu! She does tend to idealize past experiences, and holds many of them up as the Way Things Should Be. For example: her parents were excellent! So seeing Yuki and Ayame's mother at the Parent-Teacher Conference verbally assaulting her sons takes her aback. "You are striking your child with hurtful words," she says at one point. Mayu, who's seen smacking students with folders and dumping water on them to break up fights, speaks out against this mistreatment of her student! Because it goes against her belief and experience in how a parent should act.
*She received her first kiss (and her second, and her third...) during her high school class trip. A group of students snuck out after curfew to have a little fun, and she herself snuck off with a young man she fancied from another class-section. They returned rather quickly, and the teachers never knew the kids had left (or, knew and didn't care).
*On the material level, Noh masks really unsettle her, especially the straight-out human ones. It's not a phobia-level fear, but the way they look, and the way they change expression when light and shadow hits them makes her uncomfortable. Plus reading Fumiko Enchi's Onna-men/Masks DID NOT help.
So, okay, she doesn't like masks. On a more symbolic level, it could mean she doesn't like when things are disguised or covered up. So learning that the people she's known for years, her students, her friends, the man she loves, that she believed were normal, really AREN'T? Well, it did shake her world-view up a bit; that's distressing for someone like Mayu! Accurate perceptions are important, and she has been proven wrong!! But she is mentally flexible and folklore savvy, she has been in camp a while where weirder things do occur daily, and (I don't know a term to encapsulate this better) she loevs her nakama. It had an impact; she's been adjusting to this new world-view, especially in regards to Hatori. But they're still her important people, and now she just... knows a little more about them.
In Camp
*OK, let's get into rootedness. Now, I imagine for most characters, the transition from "Real World" to "Zombie Camp!?" takes time, but in Mayu's case she adjusted faster than she would have thanks to the presence of people from home, and thanks to Hatori's very generous offer. From November to June, Mayu lived with Hatori in Boys' Cabin 16.2. It's safe to say, after being "uprooted" from Japan, she managed to put down roots and stabilize- it was Dumbledore's cabin, it was remote but it was safe and secure and it had Hatori. And for Mayu, STABILITY IS GOOD, ROOTEDNESS IS GOOD! Right...
Then Akito arrived. And Hatori, realizing that (and wanting) Akito to stay with him, evicted Mayu... He uprooted her. Personally. And while Mayu was rationalizing "Yes, it's for the best" out loud and then tsun-ing at Hatori, mentally she was going "OH GOD NO WHY WHAT DO I DO NOW ;o;" I don't think she was even as panicked and scared during the Zombie Apocalypse as she was then. So yes, Shigure had it right, she was in extreme distress before and while he was there (and probably a while afterwards bawww) And Shigure had the best possible idea, in immediately offering Mayu a new place to stay. Because she might have holed herself up in the library and NOT COME BACK OUT for a while.
So for the moment, Mayu lives in the Pimp Cabin. And you can be sure, she's not going to be putting down roots for a long while. :'<
*The Library: Mayu's place of employment, her second home, her territory. She takes her job seriously, she spends most of every month ordering and delivering books. She has an office of her own (I figure Castor and Nanao do as well, and when they're out in a post, they're in a "public" area, you know, at the reference/check-out desk for example, unless stated otherwise. Offices, in contrast, are in a more "private" area.) While most of the belongings she brought into camp with her are in her cabin, some of those and most of her in-camp acquisitions are in her office, and have been since she started working. The chair and footstool she got from Tiny-IKEA? WENT TO HER OFFICE. She never brought home anything she's gotten from fighting (not that the drops are that great, anyway), nor did she carry her weapons in plain sight, because she didn't want to worry Hatori.
*Weapons: Mayu has them! They are small, and if they are on her person... you know that backpack she wears, that I sometimes remember to mention? Yep, they'll be there! Not all of them at the same time though, they are heavy.
Weapon of choice: one mace, simple functional design, not spiked.
Sharp!Objects: a pair of small daggers, may have one or both at the same time. Reluctant to use them since it requires she get up close and personal with her target, which limits her reach-advantage. Both mace and daggers acquired during Heroes!Weekend/her birthday in January.
Reference books: Being library staff, Mayu does take out reference books on loan. And as we all know, Camp!reference books are ~very nippy~. She keeps a number in her cabin as a rough sort of security system, and may be seen carrying one with her. It makes being booked in the face by her that much more unpleasant.
Medical Knowledge: She does know a bit about the human body- there may have been medical texts in her father's store. She certainly helped Kana study for her exams. And she will use that knowledge to attempt to end fights quickly in her favor. |<
*Mayu's soul animal is an elephant? WHY?
1. From here: "Deeply committed to all creatures with whom they have relationships, elephants are tough when protecting others and gentle when nurturing them. The matriarch (the oldest, most experienced female leader of a herd) leads in a way that is both gentle and inclusive." Is Mayu the matriarch of her "herd"? She is, or at least she's learning how to be one. :|a
2. Same site: "Loyal and affectionate elephants would risk their lives for the sake of others in a family group... Elephants have amazing memories and when mistreated they often seek revenge." Like Hatori, Mayu is associated with memory- in particular, the preservation aspect. "I don't want to forget (their happiness)..." As for the revenge aspect... let's be glad she's a Muggle...
3. Something I discovered after the species-switch: In Thailand, the final animal of the zodiac is not the boar- it's the elephant. I doubt she has Thai ancestry, but nonetheless, she transformed into an animal of her zodiac year!
And 4. ... I wanted something that could contrast greatly with Hatori's little-bitty transformation. Plus, she was very uncomfortable being so large, more than she let on, I believe- lol body issues. She's embarrassed over what she transforms into, too. /)_(\
I think I'll leave this entry off here- it got much larger than I anticipated. If you managed to read all the way through, thank you for hanging in there! I'll be working on another section soon, but it will be separate.